Charlotte's Niece

by Pamela

pamelapamela@hotmail.com

 

Chapter 6

I found Lei at the dining room table when I stumbled out of bed the next morning looking for breakfast. It was just a couple of days before she was to go out west and I must admit I felt more than a little sad at the thought of not seeing her for the rest of the summer. Lei looked up from her cereal when I sat down across from her and said "good morning."

"Good morning," I answered, "looking forward to your trip?"

"I'll say! It'll be great to get away from here! Not that I don't appreciate all that Charlotte has done for me."

"I thought you thought it was neat staying here?" I said with some consternation.

"At the start, but I really find Ethel with all her weird cleaning tips to be more than I can take. I don't know how you can stand it!"

"What do you mean, 'stand it'?"

"You seem to me like you're having a great time. That's what I've been writing to mom and dad."

"You've been away like every night Lei. Except last night. I've been really pissed off at Charlotte and Ethel myself!"

"I'm surprised, because last night it didn't seem like you had any problem with the 10 O'clock curfew. It would have blown my mind!"

"It did blow my mind! But Charlotte said, that she'd lock me out for the night if I came back late!"

"God, your joking! I mean she must have been joking!"

"I wish she was. No, she seemed totally serious when she said it."

"She's just bluffing. I'm sure it would be illegal for her to do that. Its crazy!"

"Gee, Lei, so what else is new?"

I could see Lei's face scrunched up thinking about the situation. I began to feel a small worry at the pit of my stomach.

"Maybe I should talk to her; like put her straight about it."

"She gave me some line about it was for my own safety, and that if she was to have responsibility for me, she couldn't trust me out alone that late."

"Well, maybe all you have to do is suggest that she come get you, say at 11, or that you could have your friends' parent escort you back?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Maybe Charlotte would accept that."

"Ask her tonight, politely, and maybe it'll be OK with her."

"I will."

We ate our breakfasts in silence for a while, when Lei said, "you know you can always call mom and dad long distance and let them know what's happening. I mean if something like crazy happens."

"What do you mean?" I asked, Lei was scaring me.

"No, nothing more than to say that if she really did lock you out, all you'd have to do is place a long distance call to mom and dad and they'll figure out some way you could be taken care of until they fly back. They have lots of friends around the city. Maybe you should carry the phone number with you.

"Jesus, Lei, I think I can take care of Charlotte and Ethel! All I'd have to do is go to the police station!"

"I suppose you're right. Anyway, the summer will race along with all the work your doing!"

"I think so too."

Lei got up to carry her cereal bowl back to the kitchen. "Could you wash the bowl for me? I'm in a rush to get my haircut at 10."

"Sure, no problem," I said out loud, and then thought to myself, "after all, I do all the other dishes around here!"

 

I spent the day in the library, knowing full well that it was best to avoid the apartment lest Ethel cook up some new job for me. At 3:15 I was engaged in reading a particularly interesting article, when I remembered that Ethel wanted me back at 3:30 to help out for Charlotte's "evening with the ladies," whatever that was. Since the apartment was just 15 minutes away, I could just make it back on time if I left immediately. I closed the journal volume I was reading and got up to go. A sudden flash of resentment swept over me. This is so unfair! Why should I give up a couple of hours of research for Charlotte's crummy friends! I sat down again and resumed reading, but every minute I stopped and thought about what I was doing. Finally, it was 3:30 and I got up and hurriedly left for the apartment. I'd just tell Ethel I got delayed for some reason or another. I could say I ran into a friend who had an emergency and I had to help them out, or something like that.

Upon re-entering the apartment, I saw Ethel was scurrying around in the kitchen. She gave me a sour look when she saw me and said, "my goodness, where have you been? I've had to make the whole dinner myself!"

"I had to work on my project. I'm just a few minutes late."

"No excuse, Greg. You'll have to really get a move on if we're to get everything done by the time Charlotte and her friends come home."

The thought of doing hours of boring chores depressed me and I tried to make my face show it. "Let me put my stuff away and I'll be right back." My voice was anything but nice. I turned to walk away when Ethel said, "you left your room just lovely today! The bed was made beautifully, your drawers are perfect and the carpet and everything else. Congratulations!"

I had taken a lot of extra time this morning trying to get it right. It seemed like the best way to get Ethel off my back. "That's partly why I came home later: it took me a long time this morning to do it!"

"Well, the effort paid off."

I wish I knew why, but the compliment from Ethel felt good.

After washing up, I came back to the kitchen. "Before you make the salad, here, put this on," Ethel said handing me an apron. It was black with a thin, white, lace trim around the edges and on the shoulder straps.

Holding it up to look at I said, "I can't wear this!"

"Oh, pshaw!" Ethel laughed, "its only you and I here."

"But its obviously for a girl!"

"The only other apron is this pink one," Ethel said, taking out a print pink apron from the closet. It was covered with white lace and easily matched the clothes in my room. "I was sure you wouldn't wear this one!"

"Why do I need an apron!"

"Because today you need to help with the cooking and I don't want you to get your clothes all messed up."

"Oh, all right," I said. What would be the point of refusing. I put the top loop of the apron over my head and Ethel tied the sash across my back. Looking down at the lace, I felt silly, but I'd take it off the moment Charlotte came home with her friends.

I set to work making the salad. When that was done, she had me neatly make canapes and arrange them on a tray. She took down a new jar of olives from the cupboard and tried to open it without success. She handed it to me and asked me to open it. I grabbed it hard and tried turning the lid. It wouldn't budge. I tried again until my fingers hurt. "I'll have to soak the lid in hot water," I said.

"Don't bother, Charlotte will open it." I couldn't believe that Charlotte could open it, so I picked it up and tried once again with all my strength. It wouldn't move. In disgust I put it on the counter. "She'll have a very hard time with it," I said, "I can't get it at all."

"You don't know Charlotte!" Ethel laughed. "Now you can get out the fancy china and silverware and set the table." She directed me to a drawer in the breakfront and I set out to work. The dishes were attractive and the silver service gleamed. The dinner was going to be very elegant, I thought.

When I was back in the kitchen, Ethel took out a vase, filled it part way with water and set it on the counter. She handed me a bouquet of flowers wrapped in green paper. "Do you know how to flower arrange?" she asked.

"No, I've never done it."

"Well here's your chance! Try and make the arrangement as pretty as possible. I'll help you if you're heading in the wrong direction."

It was nice that she gave me so much responsibility and I concentrated on the task.

I must have some talent, since Ethel only had to make a few comments along the way, before I had a really beautiful arrangement of daises, pansies and carnations. "My, my how pretty," Ethel said and held it up to admire. "That's a beautiful centerpiece!"

It was actually kind of nice working with Ethel. She was cheerful and I regretted my earlier gruff tone.

"Should I wash some dishes?," I asked.

"Good idea," she said.

While I was washing, Ethel asked me about how my project was going and I told her. She then said, "it really pleases Charlotte that she can help you out. She hasn't really ever had an opportunity to help a young person before."

"What about her niece?" I said.

Ethel looked at me strangely. "What niece?"

"You know, Charlotte's niece." I said.

"What are you talking about? Charlotte doesn't have a niece! She doesn't even have any brothers or sisters."

"She told me she did. She said all the girls clothes in my room, the ones that were there when I moved in belong to her niece."

Ethel shook her head slowly and sadly and made a sound like "tut, tut, tut." Then she looked up at me. "Greg, honey, can you keep a secret?"

"Sure," I said, surprised that she would engage me in a conspiracy about Charlotte.

"I do believe that you can," she said, "so let me tell you something which is for your ears only." Ethel looked back down at a casserole dish she was filling with noodles. "Charlotte had a tragic accident about ten years ago when she was in her early thirties. I don't want to go into that now. Its very private. But the bottom line was that she had thought she was to be the mom of a baby girl, but it didn't happen. She had bought some clothes in anticipation of the happy event, but then they weren't needed. She had almost a closet full of pretty little dresses and baby panties; things for the new girl baby." Ethel stopped and I noticed tears forming in her eyes.

"But the clothes in my room are for an older girl," I said as gently as I could.

Ethel pulled out a little hanky from her sleeve and blew her nose. "That maybe is the real tragedy. Later Charlotte found out that she could never have children. In time she manufactured a fantasy in her mind about having a "niece" who she was raising. Her niece is the grown up baby she never had. I suppose its a lot like "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf." Have you seen the play? or the movie?

"No."

"Well you really ought to. Its one of the most moving films ever made, and it might help explain some of Charlotte for you. But getting back to the clothes, Charlotte's fantasy evolved over the years into buying clothes for her niece. In her fantasy she's moved out, leaving behind some of her clothes. Charlotte's niece just absolutely loves frou-frou, as you can tell!"

"God, its so tragic!" I said, choking with emotion. A few tears crowded in the corners of my eyes. Ethel noticed them and said, "oh you precious dear," and then came and held me, while I sobbed for a minute. "I'm sorry for upsetting you!"

Regaining my composure, I said, "I had no idea!"

"Just forget it. Charlotte doesn't want anybody feeling sorry for her!"

I thought about what Ethel had said for awhile. Then in a lull I asked her, "Ethel?"

"Yes honey?"

It was first time she had called me honey, and I suppose it was because I had been so sympathetic to her story about Charlotte. It did feel good to be good. "I was just wondering why you do all that you do for Charlotte?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know. You come in here and make sure the apartment is as clean as she likes, and you cook for her. Just look at today. There is so much work involved!"

"Charlotte is a good friend to me." She knew herself that that sounded a bit lame.

"You might not understand, Greg. Charlotte and I go way back together. She is, how can I say it? Charismatic? Yes, that's a good word. I am so thrilled to be with her, that I am happy for the chance to help her. And lord knows what with all she has been through, there is lots of ways one can help her!"

I realized that my own mom was probably feeling just what Ethel did. How else to explain why we started seeing so much of Charlotte. I wondered if my dad found her "charismatic." My thoughts jumped to recalling last week's taxi drive. That had been closer to a woman than I had ever been before. Up close like that Charlotte did seem kind of hypnotic. I remembered sucking her thumb and thought that I wouldn't mind doing it again, if I could.

My thoughts were interrupted by Ethel, "what are you thinking about, you've grown awfully quiet!"

"I was just thinking about what you said, and that its too bad Charlotte has had some bad things happen to her. Is there anything I can do to help her?"

Ethel laughed. "No, no, Greg, Charlotte doesn't need your help.

She's really a very, very strong, woman!"

"Like with the olive jar!"

Ethel laughed. "She'll make us both look like such wimps! I guarantee it!"

The thought was amusing and I found myself laughing along with Ethel.

 

At six o'clock, Charlotte arrived with four women friends. I rushed out with Ethel to take their coats and hang them in the closet. Charlotte introduced me to the ladies as "Lillian's young son Greg." Without missing a beat, one of them touched the lace edge of my apron and said, "Charlotte, did you say 'son'? Charlotte let out a belly laugh and the other ladies joined in. I frantically tried to undo the knot in back of the apron but Ethel must not have used a simple slip knot since it was tightly on. I tried to pull it over my head but it wouldn't move. The women laughed harder watching my struggles, until finally Ethel came over and untied me. As I stood there beet red in the face, she said, "poor Greg, I made him wear the apron; its all my fault."

When finally the apron was off, the women good naturedly apologized for the joke at my expense. "So you're a young man, after all!" the one who had had the quick tongue added. I'm Gladys Sontag, and the other ladies are Ms. Angela Pauley, Ms. Sara Gence and Ms. Rita McCain."

I shook their outstretched hands. All except Ms. Sontag were Charlotte's age. She, on the other hand was perhaps ten years younger, in her late twenties, I would have guessed. She was the only one of the women, besides Charlotte, to be wearing a skirt. The rest had on dark tailored pant suits. None had an excess of makeup or jewelry. They were attractive, but only Ms. Sontag and Ms. McCain were what one might consider really gorgeous. Ms. Sontag had long auburn hair and, like all the women I had been meeting lately, she had a well developed chest, which I was hard pressed not to stare at. Ms. McCain's features were perfectly set on her face; her skin was white and she had raven black hair. She reminded me of Diana Rigg, my favorite actress.

Charlotte had the women get comfortable in the living room. As they settled into the sofas and arm chairs, Ethel nudged me to ask them what they would drink. I was shy about interrupting their conversation, but it wasn't more than a few moments before

Charlotte said,

"Greg, dear, you know we're all very thirsty!"

"Yes, Charlotte, what do they want?" I said.

"Go ask them Greg."

The room was silent now and I turned to Ms. Sontag who was sitting next to Charlotte. "What would you like to drink?" I asked awkwardly.

"What do you have?" she said smiling.

"Martinis? We have martinis."

"What else?"

I was at a complete loss, since martinis was all that Charlotte ever had. I turned to Charlotte and made a face.

"Gladys, you'll have to excuse the help! He's new on the job!"

Charlotte meant it as a joke and the women laughed. "Greg, we probably have a bottle of wine and there is scotch, bourbon. How about a gin and tonic?"

"That sounds great, I'll have a gin and tonic."

I hadn't the slightest idea how to make one, or even what it was. "Charlotte..." I said under my breath.

She didn't hear me, and said to Ms. McCain, "Rita, what would you like?"

"To keep it simple honey, just make me a gin and tonic also, and I'll bet everybody will have one! Except Charlotte of course!"

"Got that honey?" Charlotte asked. "Four gin and tonics and my usual martini."

I went to fetch the drinks, and with Ethel's help was able to make the gin and tonics. I put them on a small glass tray and carefully carried them over to the ladies. I walked slowly and tightly clutched the tray, like it was a bomb which would ignite at the slightest movement. I came up to Ms. Sontag and Charlotte and they took their drinks and then I went around to the others. Relieved that I hadn't spilled anything, I went back to the kitchen where Ethel was in the final state of preparing the dinner.

She saw the jar of olives, still unopened, and told me to take it out to Charlotte. I didn't want to do it in front of the women, and hesitated, but Ethel told me to snap to it. I gave it one more try until my hand hurt and then took it out to Charlotte. I had to interrupt her and ask her to open the jar, "Ethel said you should open this."

Amused, Charlotte looked at me and said, "its OK if you open it.

There is no need to interrupt us for that!"

"I can't open it Charlotte. I hurt my hand, it won't budge. Its really a tough one. I think we should soak it in hot water or something."

"Let me see," Charlotte said. She took the jar from my hand, and gripped the lid. I couldn't help but notice the feminine way in which she held it, with her long pink polished finger nails. With a little twist and a slight grunt I heard the lid pop open. "I don't think it was that hard. Maybe we'll have to enroll you in Gold's Gym."

"I loosened it!" I cried.

Charlotte and the women laughed. I turned away and ran back to the kitchen.

"Here, you forgot the olives," Charlotte said, and I had to return to get them from her.

I heard Gladys Sontag say, "Charlotte, you're being too hard on him" and then there was more laughter.

 

In short order, Ethel sent me out to announce dinner. Even though there was a place set for me at the table, I ended up having to spend so much time racing back and forth between the kitchen and the table serving the dishes, getting water, fetching the wine bottles, bread and everything else, that I couldn't enjoy the dinner at all. Just as I'd finally sit down, Charlotte would say, "Greg, honey, fetch Ms. Pauley another teaspoon" or "reheat the potatoes, Greg." After every command I glanced sharply over at Ethel, as if to say, "what is this all about! Why should I be stuck with more work!" At first Ethel didn't see me, then I was sure she had, but didn't react. Finally, Charlotte ordered me to get more bread, and I got up quickly banging my chair and went into the kitchen. I sat down at a counter chair and decided I would take my own sweet time about helping. After five minutes, I heard Charlotte say, "I'll take care of this!" and then there was the sound of her chair scraping the floor. I started to get off the chair to find the bread but Charlotte caught me in the act. "Greg! Shame on you!" she hissed and grabbed my arm at the bicep. The grip was strong, almost like a pinch and I let out a small shriek of hurt. "Ssssh!" she commanded and let go of me. "If you ruin my dinner party...!" she started to say. With tears welling up in my eyes, I said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do anything!"

"This gathering is very important to me, and I will not have it ruined! Just one night I ask you to help. How can you be so selfish?"

"It's OK, I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to be selfish."

Charlotte turned her back on me and left the kitchen. I gathered up some more bread and dabbed at my eyes with a paper towel and blew my nose. I wanted to wait a few more minutes until my eyes cleared up more, but was afraid that Charlotte would get up again. So I went back out carrying the bread and kept my eyes cast downwards. Through my peripheral vision I could see the ladies looking at me. In another minute I was interrupted to start clearing the dishes. It wasn't long after that that Charlotte announced that she and the ladies would have coffee and dessert in the living room. Mercifully, Ethel told me to stay in the kitchen washing the mountain of dishes, while she'd take out a platter of cake slices and a pot of coffee.

I was more than an half an hour washing and straightening the kitchen and dining room. My back ached and I was exhausted. My arm hurt from where Charlotte had pinched me. I pushed up the short sleeve of my shirt to look at the spot and saw that it was black and blue. Just at that moment Ethel came in to see how I was doing.

"What's that?" she asked, seeing me rub the spot.

"Its nothing."

"It looks like you hurt yourself."

"Charlotte pinched me there before when I didn't bring the bread."

"She didn't!" Ethel said.

"I wish she didn't," I said.

"I'm sure she didn't mean any harm. She sometimes just doesn't remember how strong she is!"

Likely story, is what I wanted to say, but instead I said, "how did she get so strong?"

"She works out at lunch time. Allied has the greatest facilities."

The amazing thing was how little it showed. She had the right womanly curves, and her legs were pretty in stockings without showing large calf muscles. "She joked before that I should work out at Gold's Gym. Maybe I really should do that!"

"Good idea!" Ethel said just as Charlotte came into the kitchen.

"Greg, I was hoping you were done in here so you could join us," Charlotte said. She saw me rubbing my arm and came over to look at it. Holding me by the forearm she raised up my sleeve with her other hand. "Did I do that!" she said with real upset in her voice. "I'm so sorry, Greg, I don't know what came over me."

"Its, OK" I said, "it doesn't hurt. Its just black and blue."

"How can I make it up to you?"

"You could let me stay out later when I visit Linda!"

"You're sneaky!" Charlotte said.

"I could have Linda walk me back to the door, so I'd be safe," I said.

Charlotte thought about it and then said, "OK, Greg, how about 11 O'clock, but I must see Linda with you when you come in."

"Thanks!" I said excitedly, "I'm sure she'll be only too happy to do that."

"It doesn't look like you have too much more to do in here. I'd like you to join us in the living room when you're done. OK?"

I had been anxious to get back into my silly pink bedroom and read and then go to sleep, but Charlotte looked to be offering me a privilege which I supposed I ought not to take lightly. "OK" I said, and Charlotte left saying, "hurry up!".

Ethel continued to work along side me as we took care of the few remaining dishes. She said quietly, "Charlotte sometimes has a temper, not too often, but sometimes she just gets a teensy weensy bit frustrated."

"Frustrated with what?" I said,"I was tired of fetching everything!"

"You have to learn to express your feelings in a more adult way. Of course you're still young so no one really expects you to be an adult. But the sooner the better, you know.." Ethel appeared to me to be a bit tongue tied.

It wasn't exactly adult of Charlotte to hurt my arm, was it?! I thought, but kept silent. The dishes were done and I hung up the dishrag to dry. Ethel and I headed to the living room to join the party.

 

If I was now expecting to be the center of attention, I was disappointed by Lei's sudden return and Charlotte's excitement at seeing her.

"Lei, come on over here and meet my friends."

I could see Lei light up. She hurried over to say hello and took a seat in the center of the group. Ethel sat in the only other seat near the coffee table, and I ended up sitting in the last arm chair, next to Ms. McCain. Lei was thrilled to meet everyone, and she took many compliments on how nicely she looked and so on and so forth. I thought I deserved at least a round of applause for my efforts at feeding the bunch of them.

Charlotte told the ladies about Lei's forthcoming trip out west.

And Lei described some of the details of her counselor job.

Ms. McCain said, "I'll bet you're glad to get away from the city!"

"Yes, it will be great to get away from it all! I'm really excited."

"Are you going alone or with a friend?" Ms. McCain added.

"Alone, and that's another great thing about the trip. I get a rest from my boyfriends. They've been getting on my nerves. Maybe its time for a whole new group!"

"Boyfriends? How many boyfriends?" Charlotte said curiously.

"Oh, I like to never get tied down to one guy. Its best to keep a few competing with each other. I don't think I've had to pay for a meal or movie in years!"

The women laughed. I thought it was a pretty nasty thing to say.

"They're all trying to get past first base," Lei said and I saw her steal a glance at me, "and as long as they think they're going to make it they keep asking me out. If it ever happens, its only because I want it to, and that's not too often, particularly with the kinds of guys you find nowadays."

"It's nice to see you're not taking any s - h - i - t from them!" Ms. Pauley said.

The conversation was clearly not for my ears, and I looked over to Charlotte to see if she'd signal me to leave, but she wasn't looking my way.

"Men are so predictable, aren't they?" Gladys said.

"Predictable pigs," Ms. Pauley said.

"Ain't that the truth, Angela" Charlotte said, "predictably piggy."

Suddenly animated, Ms. Gence, who had been silent, came to life, "did I tell you the latest about Fred?"

"What's that prick up to now?" Angela Pauley added, and then, looking at me, "pardon me, Greg!"

I blushed a little, and was excited at being included in the discussion.

"Yesterday, he was loudly boasting to Steve in the mail room, about how he'd "picked up this "bitch" Judy" at the Childe Harolde on 8^th street, and was able to get his four F's done and be back to his wife for late supper."

"What s that mean, the four F's" Ethel interjected.

Ms. Gence laughed and said, "you know, find'em feel'em fuck'em forget'em."

Ethel let out a squeal of laughter, "I've never heard that before!"

I wasn't used to adults cursing, and thought it pretty cool that they didn't mind me being there.

"I made a bee line to the phone, and you know that squeaky voice I can fake, you know that goes like this," and she raised her voice into a breathless caricature of someone like Marilyn Monroe. "Well I called Fred's house on my cell phone, and his wife Amy got on the line and I asked for Fred. She said he was at work and could she take a message. I said that it was Judy and I wanted to see him again, like last night and that I'd call later. Then I hung up."

The women were howling with laughter. "Unbelievable Sara, so what happened today at the office?"

"No, later that night I called again and one of Fred's kids answered the phone. There was all this screaming going on in the background. I mean it was like World War III. Today, Fred came in late and he had a black eye and a cut on his forehead. He said he had tripped while shaving. What a crock of shit, pardon my French."

"Serves the bastard right. It would be even better to do a John Wayne Bobbit on him!" Gladys said.

I couldn't figure out what she was talking about, though the name Bobbit sounded familiar.

"Why just him?" Sara continued, "maybe the whole race of them. We've got plenty of sperm stored in freezers. Enough for centuries. Anytime, anyone wants a baby, all they have to do is get artificially inseminated. Of course we'd abort the boys and just keep the girls!"

The women seemed to find this hysterical, and I thought they were being playful, at least I hoped they were.

"In about a hundred years they'd all be gone."

"Good riddance."

"Why wait so long?"

"It would be cruel to kill them off; after all they are each some women's father or son."

"We could let them live, but just castrate them."

"Your prick or your life!" Sara said, which caused a big chuckle amongst the ladies.

Just then I placed the name Bobbit. Unable to control myself, I got up and ran to my room shutting the door behind me. A wave of fear ran through me and I fumbled with the door seeing how I could lock it. It was then I realized there was no lock on the door. Charlotte called out "Greg! Greg! Come back here!" but I ran to the closet and opened it, looking to see if I could hide in there. I was half in it when there was a knock on the door, and without waiting for an answer, Charlotte entered, quickly followed by Ethel and the other women.

"Whatever are you doing in there?" Charlotte said with exasperation. "We were only joking! How could you think otherwise? You're much too sensitive!"

"I remembered about Bobbit!"

"Psshaw!" Gladys Sontag said, "how could you possibly think we would really do such a thing!"

"It sounded so real!"

"You're just overly tired," Ethel said reaching down and extending a hand to me, "get up and I think you should get ready for bed."

I took her hand and she helped me up. "What are we going to do with you!" Ethel said, and turning to everyone said, "you can't imagine how hard Greg has been working all afternoon to make the dinner a success!"

"My, my, it was very lovely!" Ms. Gence said, and the other ladies agreed with her.

"Greg made the centerpiece all by himself," Ethel added.

"It was a beautiful job, very pretty!" Ms. McCain said.

I blushed at the attention and looked at Charlotte to see if she would say something about the dinner, but she didn't, and I felt more than a little disappointed. The women looked around the room at the pretty decorations. Ms. Gence said, "Greg, you have such a pretty room. Is that your dolly?" She was looking at the doll in the center of my bed.

"What?" I said with surprise.

"Its a pretty dolly indeed, and your bedspread and curtains are so pretty."

Before I could say a word, Ms. McCain interjected, "did you see his dresses in the closet? They're precious!"

"They're not..." I started to say, when Charlotte cut me off, "And there are matching bras, panties and slips," she said, opening my lower dresser drawer.

"Its amazing. We had no idea," Gladys said smiling at me, "when do you wear your girls clothes?"

Finally I blurted out "they're not MY dresses and panties. I don't wear THOSE panties. Charlotte bought me plain ones to wear. I mean, I don't, or I didn't wear them, I mean," I was completely flustered.

Charlotte came to my rescue, "there is somewhat of a misunderstanding here. The pretty clothes just happen to be in Greg's room; they're not his. I did find some very nice panties for him, though, which he's been happy with, haven't you Greg?"

"Un, hunh" I said.

"He's also swears by Mudd jeans now, as you can see, but it was a bit of struggle to get him to admit he likes them."

"That's not exactly right," I said. "I wore them right away!"

"Yes, I'm confusing them with the panties, aren't I?"

"Yeah, I didn't think I should wear panties."

"But, now, its OK?"

"Yes," I said with some irritation, "like I said, they're OK."

"I can see you're tired, Greg. You prepare for bed and come out to say nighty-night." Charlotte and the other women filed out of the room talking animatedly among themselves. It seemed like they were talking about me, and especially about my "sensitivity." I distinctly heard Ms. Sontag saying, "you know when I saw him in that apron..." and I couldn't hear the rest. What did they take me for. I mean, like I'd wear Charlotte's niece's crazy clothes. Imagine the nerve of joking about castration! They must be nuts or sadistic. Either way, they fit in perfectly with Charlotte!

 

A few minutes later, I came back out to the living room in my pajamas to say good night. The ladies stopped their conversation to say how pleased they had been to meet me and looked forward to seeing me again. Charlotte got up and walked me back to my bedroom, and after I got into bed she tucked the covers around me. "Greg honey. Thanks for your help with the dinner party, you did a great job," and she stroked my forehead. She silently turned out the light and left the room. In the dark, I started to cry. After a few moments, I got up and fumbled in the dark for the bottom drawer of the dresser. Opening it up, I remembered where the stack of panties was, and took the top one out. Getting back to bed, I put the lacy panties on underneath my pajamas and a few moments later I was sound asleep.

  

  

  

*********************************************
© 2001 by Pamela. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of StorySite and the copyright holder.